Regulating apparatus



Patented Apr. 19, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE REGULATIN G APPARATUS Pennsylvania Application November 20, 1936, Serial No. 111,818

6 Claims.

My invention relates to induction regulators of the type providing relatively movable primary and secondary windings automatically actuated in accordance with variations in an electrical characteristic of the circuit to be regulated.

In installations of automatic induction voltage regulators having relatively movable primary and secondary windings for maintaining a desired voltage on alternating-current circuits, it is customary to provide for connecting the regulator windings to operate at two rated voltages by con,- necting two portions of the primary and two portions of the secondary windings in series or par allel circuit relation, respectively. When this is done, it has been necessary to provide potential transformers for reducing the line voltage to a value suitable for application to the contactmaking primary relay and to the operating motor under both installation voltages, thus requiring either different potential transformers for installation at the different voltages or potential transformers capable of the necessary adjustments for application to the two line voltage conditions involved.

It is an object of my invention to provide a system for automatically connecting induction type regulators adapted for operation on circuits of two rated voltages which does not require changing the arrangement of the potential trans- .formers when connected to circuits having such different voltage ratings.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear from the following description of one preferred embodiment thereof taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is an illustration of circuits and apparatus arranged in accordance with my invention as applied to a circuit of one rated potential;

Fig. 2 is an illustration of circuits and apparat-us arranged in accordance with my invention as applied to a circuit of another rated voltage;

Fig. 3. 1s a simplified diagram of the transformer circuits arranged in accordance with the system illustrated in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a simplified diagram of the transformer circuits arranged as shown in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, and particularly to Fig. 1 thereof, the numerals I and 2 indicate power conductors to which a source of power is sup- 'plied and the numerals I and 3 at the right of the figure represent the conductors supplying power to a load. An induction regulator 4 is provided between the source of power and the load circuit for regulating the voltage of the load ,.circuit and comprises a primary winding having two portions 5 and 6 connected in series relation between conductors 2 and I, and a secondary winding having two portions 7 and 8 connected in series circuit relation between conductors 2 and 3.

The rotor or secondary windings 1 and 8 are movable with respect to the stator or primary windings 5 and Sthrough mechanism represented by a shaft 9 and operated by the motor H as controlled by a contact making relay 12 in accordance with the voltage supplied thereto through a potential transformer I3. The primary winding l4 of the transformer I3 is connected between the junction point l5 that is between the primary winding sections 5 and 6 and a junction point l6 that is between the secondary winding sections 7 and 8 by conductors l1 and i8, respectively. The potential transformer 13 is also provided with a secondary winding 22 that is inductively related to the primary winding l4 and supplies current at a predetermined voltage to a winding 23 of the contact making relay l2 for actuating the armature 24 and lever 25 against the force of a spring 26, to move the contact member 21 into engagement with the contact member 28 or the contact member 29 as the voltage of the circuit l3 rises above or falls below its desired value.

A motor operating transformer 32 is provided having a primary winding 33, one terminal of which is connected to the junction point l5 by the conductor 34 and the other terminal of which is connected to the line conductor 2 by conductor 35, so that the primary winding 33 is connected across the primary winding section 5 of the induction regulator. The transformer 32 is also provided with a secondary winding 36 that is inductively related to the primary winding 33 to provide a source of energy for driving the motor ll. One terminal of the winding 36 is permanently connected by conductor 31 to the motor terminal 38, the other terminal of the winding 35 being connected to conductor 39 from which a circuit may be completed through the motor terminal 42 upon closure of the secondary relay 43 or through the motor terminal 44 upon closure of the secondary relay 45 to operate the motor I i in the one or in the other direction.

If the voltage of the circuit 1-3 increases above the desired value, the energization of the relay winding 23 will increase sufficiently that the pull on the armature 24 will overbalance the pull of the spring 26 to cause the movable contact member 21 to engage the contact member 28. A circuit is thus completed from one terminal of the transformer winding 25 through conductor 39, limit switch 46, the winding 4! of the secondary relay 43, conductor 48, the relay contact members 28 and 2! and conductor 31 to the opposite terminal of the transformer winding 36, to operate the secondary relay 43 to a circuit closing position. The relay 43 thus completes a circuit from one terminal of the motor operating transformer winding 36 through conductor 39, relay contact member the winding of the motor I! connected between terminals 42 and 38 and by conductor 31 to the other terminal of the transformer winding 36 to operate the motor It in a direction to move the secondary windings I and 8 in a direction to decrease the voltage between the circuit conductors I and 3. As the supply circuit voltage between conductors I and 3 reaches its desired value, the voltage impressed on the relay winding 23 decreases sufficiently to permit separation of the relay contact members 21 and 28 to deenergize the secondary relay 43 and interrupt the operation of the motor Should the voltage between the supply circuit conductors I and 3 drop slightly below its desired value, the force of the spring 25 will increase above the force of the magnet 25 to permit the relay contact member 21 to engage the contact member 29 and complete a circuit from one terminal of the transformer winding 36 through conductor 39, limit switch 52, the winding 53 of the secondary relay 45, the relay contact members 29 and 2! and conductor 31 to the other terminal of the transformer winding 35 to operate the secondary relay 45 to move the contact member 54 to a circuit closing position. A motor operating circuit is thus closed extending from one terminal of the winding 36 through conductor 35, the relay contact member 54, the motor windings connected between terminals 44 and 38, and conductor 31 to the other terminal of the transformer winding 36 to operate the motor II in a direction to move the secondary windings I and 8 in a direction to increase the voltage between the circuit conductors I and 3. As the voltage between the conductors I and 3 reaches the desired value, the increased energization of the relay winding 23 increases the pull on the armature 24 to cause the relay contact member 21 to separate from the contact member 29 and deenergize the secondary relay 45 to interrupt the operation of the motor I I.

It will be noted, in referring to Figs. 1 and 3, that when the induction regulator is applied to a circuit of one rated potential, the primary or stator winding sections 5 and 5 are connected in series circuit relation between a junction point 59 on the conductor 2 and a junction point 55 on the conductor I, and that the secondary or rotor winding sections I and 8 are connected in series circuit relation between the junction point 59 on the conductor 2 and the conductor 3.

When the induction regulator is applied to a circuit having substantially one-half the voltage assumed in the arrangement illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, the windings may be arranged as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4.

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be noted that the primary winding section 5 is connected between junction point 59 on conductor 2 through conductor 55 to the junction point 55 on conductor I and that the primary winding section 6 is connected between junction points 59 and 55 by conductors 5! and 58, thus connecting the sections 5 and 5 in parallel circuit relation between conductors I and 2. It will also be no e that the secondary winding section I is connected between the junction point 59 on conductor 2 and conductor 3 through conductor 62, and that the secondary winding section 8 is connected from the junction point 59 through conductor 51 to the circuit conductor 3, so that the two secondary winding sections I and 8 are in parallel circuit relation with each other between conductors 2 and 3.

It will be noted that the voltages across the primary winding section 5 and also across the secondary winding section I are independent of whether the induction regulator is connected as in Figs. 1 and 3 to control the voltage of a circuit of one voltage rating or, as in Figs. 2 and 4 to control the voltage of a circuit of substantially half that voltage rating. The primary winding of the motor operating transformer 32 in both cases is connected across the primary winding section 5 of the induction regulator and the primary winding I4 of the potential transformer I3 is connected in both cases between the junction point I5 corresponding to one terminal of the primary winding 5 and a junction point I6 corresponding to one terminal of the secondary winding I, the opposite terminals of the windings 5 and I being connected together at the junction point 59 on the load conductor 2, thus forming a star-connection between the primary and secondary winding sections 5 and I.

Modifications .in the apparatus and circuits illustrated may be made within the spirit of my invention, and I do not wish to be limited otherwise than by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a system comprising an electrical power circuit having a pair of circuit conductors, a regulator having a movable member and a stationary member for adjusting an electrical characteristic of the circuit, one of said members having a pair of primary windings and the other of said members having a pair of secondary windings, means for controlling the operation of said movable member comprising a motor and control means for controlling the operation of said motor, a circuit for energizing said motor connected to receive energy at a voltage corresponding to the voltage across one of said primary windings, and a control circuit connected to receive energy at a voltage corresponding to the voltage across one of said primary windings as modified by one of said secondary windings.

2. In a system comprising an electrical power circuit having a pair of circuit conductors, a regulator having a movable member and a stationary member for adjusting an electical characteristic of the circuit, said stationary member having a pair of primary windings and said movable member having a pair of secondary windings, said regulator being adapted for service on a circuit of one potential when its primary windings are connected in series circuit relation between the power circuit conductors and its secondary windings are connected in series circuit relation with one power circuit conductor, and for service on a circuit of another potential when its primary windings are connected in parallel circuit relation between said power circuit conductors, and its secondary windings are connected in parallel circuit relation to each other in series with one power circuit conductor, and control means for controlling the operation. of said regulator having control circuits energized from the same voltage points of said regulator windings irrespective of the connection of these windings in the power circuit.

3. In a system comprising an electrical power circuit having a pair of circuit conductors, a regulator having a movable member and a stationary member for adjusting an electrical characteristic of the circuit, said stationary member having a pair of primary windings and said movable member having a pair of secondary windings, said regulator being adapted for service on a circuit of one potential when its primary windings are connected in series circuit relation between the power circuit conductors and its secondary windings are connected in series circuit relation with one power circuit conductor, motor control mechanism comprising a motor operating transformer connected across one of said primary windings and a relay operating transformer connected between the mid-point of said primary windings and the mid-point of said secondary windings when said primary and secondary windings are respectively connected in series.

4. In a system comprising an electrical power circuit having a pair of circuit conductors, a regulator having a movable member and a stationary member for adjusting an electrical characteristic of the circuit, said stationary member having a pair of primary windings and said movable member having a pair of secondary windings, said windings being connected in star-relation from a junction point on one of the power circuit conductors, the primary windings extending from said junction point to the other power circuit conductors, and the secondary windings extending from said junction point in series with said firstnamed conductor, said regulator being adapted for service on a circuit of one potential when its primary windings are connected in series circuit relation with each other and its secondary windings are connected in series circuit relation with each other, and for service on a circuit of another potential when its primary windings are connected in parallel circuit relation to each other and its secondary windings are connected in parallel circuit relation to each other, means for operating said regulator comprising a motor and motor control mechanism connected between fixed points on said star-connected windings independently of whether said primary and secondary windings are connected in series or parallel relation.

5. In a system comprising an electrical power circuit having a pair of circuit conductors, a regulator having a movable member and a stationary member for adjusting an electrical characteristic of the circuit, said movable member having a pair of secondary windings and said stationary member having a pair of primary windings, said windings being connected in star relation from a junction point on one of the power circuit conductors, the primary windings extending from said junction point to the other power circuit conductor in series circuit relation and the secondary windings extending from said junction point in series relation with said power circuit conductor, motor control mechanism comprising a motor operated transformer connected between the mid-point of said primary windings and one of said power circuit conductors, and a relay operating transformer connected between the mid-point of said primary windings and the mid-point of said secondary windings.

6. In a system comprising an electrical power circuit having a pair of circuit conductors, a regulator having a movable member and a stationary member for adjusting an electrical characteristic of the circuit, said movable member having a pair of secondary windings and said stationary member having a pair of primary windings, said windings being connected in star relation from a junction point on one of the power circuit conductors, the primary windings extending from said junction point to the other power circuit conductor in series circuit relation and the secondary windings extending from said junction point in series relation with said power circuit conductor, motor control mechanism comprising transformer means connected to receive energy at a voltage corresponding substantially to the voltage across one of the primary windings.

LESTER G. TUBBS. 

